


The Hitman and the Clone

by ghost713



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Interspecies, Minor Character(s), Other, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-13
Updated: 2013-08-14
Packaged: 2017-12-14 21:44:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/841716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghost713/pseuds/ghost713
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two surprisingly average people who never saved the galaxy, unlike their famous family members.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1sentence: Epsilon

**Author's Note:**

> Arr! Here be drabbles, shortfic and oneshots.  
> Note: This is a companion piece to my main story, 'Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained'. Thank you for reading!

* * *

**01 / Motion**

There is a difference between  _moving_  and  _being moved_ , and Kolyat starts to understand just what that difference is the first time he sees Oriana play the violin.

**02 / Cool**

Oriana wakes up sweat-free for the first time in weeks, and after noticing that the room's temperate controls are set lower than usual she hears her drell roommate grumble  _I hope you're happy_  from within his cocoon of thermal blankets.

**03 / Young**

Irritation prickles at the back of Kolyat's throat when he sees Oriana trying to hide her laugh... an effort that ultimately fails when the drell insists, very sternly, that his voice "is not  _funny_!"

**04 / Last**

Kolyat is the last of his father's legacy, but after Miranda tells her about the origin of her birth, Oriana fears the same may not be true for her.

**05 / Wrong**

Their first argument ends with her admitting that she's just so  _used_  to being right.

**06 / Gentle**

Oriana traces one of the bands of splotchy scales that mark Kolyat's abdomen and smiles thoughtfully while murmuring, "I don't have any birthmarks."

**07 / One**

"I have a rule about quality over quantity," the human tells him with one of her slender eyebrows raised, "so in theory, one sulky drell _should_  last me a lifetime."

**08 / Thousand**

Kolyat has always taken a traditional approach to cleaning, but Oriana is more interested in the numerous tiny bubbles that glisten on his scales than she is the dishes.

**09 / King**

She's the better leader but sometimes she lets him call the shots, and Kolyat isn't sure if he can ever admit how much that means to him.

**10 / Learn**

When Oriana chooses to do her xeno-colonial thesis on Kahje he offers his assistance, but when he finds himself mouthing memories over a textbook holo of the Encompassing she stops typing mid-sentence and sits beside him instead.

**11 / Blur**

He slips off his uniform for the first time and Oriana is mystified by the way his scales thread against her skin in an endless wave of white on teal.

**12 / Wait**

Her fingers catch on the edge of the glass before the doors close and she seizes the opportunity to slip inside, offering no word of explanation to the elevator's startled drell occupant.

**13 / Change**

"You  _are_ a woman now," Miranda says as she and Oriana embrace; the younger twin can see Kolyat standing across the room, his expression torn, before he finally turns to meet his father's tear-streaked face.

**14 / Command**

"I said you could wear the uniform but I never said you could give the orders," she teases while straddling the black-eyed C-Sec officer.

**15 / Hold**

Pain uncoils in Kolyat's gut when Oriana peels the dead scales from his wound, but when he closes his eyes against the heat left by her fingertips he knows the injury isn't the only thing keeping him there.

**16 / Need**

He didn't need his father and she didn't need her twin, but while Kolyat and Oriana watch the  _Normandy_  approach the landing pier there's no mistaking who they're there to see.

**17 / Vision**

" _Auburn_ ," Kolyat repeats, frowning at the alien word, "but I thought your hair was black?"

**18 / Attention**

To say that Kolyat's puzzled chest-high stare is  _awkward_ would be an understatement, so Oriana flicks the bra at his face instead of the floor.

**19 / Soul**

When she asks him if he's Whole he doesn't answer right away – not because he doesn't know, but because he never thought he'd answer "yes."

**20 / Picture**

He has no holos of her because he doesn't need them, but that doesn't stop her from populating the apartment with holos of  _him_.

**21 / Fool**

Kolyat isn't sure what to think when he finds a copy of Fornax tucked between her academic datapads, but when Oriana sees him looking at a human centerfold upside down she reaches over and turns it right-side up.

**22 / Mad**

After Oriana comments that the Tupari Machine sounds a little like him Kolyat goes out of his way to stock up on Paragades just to spite her.

**23 / Child**

Every time he sees Mouse he can't help but recall the black-footed child projected in miniature above his palm, and Kolyat is struck by just how long ten years can be.

**24 / Now**

"Life's too short not to," she tells him as they stand before the door to Life Support.

**25 / Shadow**

The first time she coaxes him on top he almost loses his nerve, but the way her body flushes under his shadow soon proves to be intoxicating indeed.

**26 / Goodbye**

The  _real_ reason Kolyat doesn't like his father's messages is because with every closing word it feels like Thane Krios is leaving all over again.

**27 / Hide**

It's hard not to notice that the gaggle of women across from their booth is staring, so when Oriana chooses not to say anything Kolyat takes it upon himself to toss his menu down and inquire, loudly: "What, are you waiting for hallucinations or something?"

**28 / Fortune**

There are days when Oriana envies Kolyat's freedom to make mistakes.

**29 / Safe**

As the two of them stand before a sign that reads ' _WARNING: CENTRIFUGAL PSEUDO-GRAVITY IN EFFECT, DROPPED ITEMS OR PERSONS JUMPING WILL FALL TOWARD THE WINDOWS_ ,' Oriana leans against the guardrail and asks him if he's ever seen someone try it before.

**30 / Ghost**

When she tells him of her guardian, he tells her of his ghosts; how the first was deep in battlesleep, the other weighted down with stones.

**31 / Book**

"I've thought of a title for our memoir," she announces while counting the fins that crest his head, "and it should be  _The Hitman and the Clone: Two Surprisingly Average People Who Never Saved the Galaxy, Unlike Their Famous Family Members_."

**32 / Eye**

Kolyat doesn't tell her that one of his fondest memories is of the first time he flicked that lock of hair away from her eye.

**33 / Never**

"You know I can't forget," he growls, watching her thought-lined face darken as she looks away, "so why should I  _forgive_?"

**34 / Sing**

Her fingers play his pulse just like an antique violin, and suddenly Kolyat understands the appeal of her favorite symphony.

**35 / Sudden**

Kolyat jerks once, cold-scaled, breathing short, his eyelids nictating  _one-two-three-four_  times before he sees Oriana's startled face hovering just above his own and her hands are smoothing the fins of his scalp and he is  _confused_  until she explains that  _I'm alright, Kolyat, I'm fine_  and  _no one came for me_ ,  _it was just a dream, it was just a memory._

**36 / Stop**

Normally Kolyat can get away with falling asleep when he's forced to watch one of her vids, but the weight of a pillow smacking against his face followed by Oriana complaining that he's 'making that noise again' puts an end to that little ruse.

**37 / Time**

Kolyat isn't happy about visiting Nos Astra, but after watching the sunrise with Oriana he says nothing for a long time, breaking the silence only with a whisper of "It's just like he described."

**38 / Wash**

When he walks in on Oriana while she's rinsing off her face he finds that he is fascinated by the way her makeup leaves tracks of color across her cheeks, and he can't resist reaching out and smearing a trail of black beneath her eyes that mirrors his own.

**39 / Torn**

It isn't the first time that the edge of his frill has split the skin between her finger and her thumb, but it  _is_  the first time that he's pressed the cut against his lips and made her laugh and call him "quite the gentleman."

**40 / History**

She never asks him what it's like to see Talid's face on the news, not because she doesn't care, but because Kolyat always looks away.

**41 / Power**

A dizzying sensation assails Oriana's head when she sees the aura curl about her trembling hands and the glass that has lurched across the table of its own accord.

**42 / Bother**

The tiny twitch of her mouth is enough to tell Kolyat just who was responsible for changing all his omni-tool alerts to "Shepard V.I."

**43 / God**

Kolyat doesn't believe in  _sihas,_  because believing in them means he would have to believe in a goddess who lets them die.

**44 / Wall**

There's a beat of silence as the ex-hitman stares into the gunmetal alloy of an old Carnifex, and Oriana is frustrated because she will never have the power to make him forget.

**45 / Naked**

Angry tears blur the corners of his eyes when Kolyat slams his fist against the wall, but her hand catches his elbow short and he turns around to find that he is  _trembling_  because when he looks at her she can  _see_ him, every ugly part of him, because he cannot  _look away_.

**46 / Drive**

"I should have known you wouldn't settle for somewhere normal," Kolyat chuffs when she presses him against the wall of a C-SEC utility closet.

**47 / Harm**

The next time Kolyat goes out of his way to preserve her "delicate constitution" Oriana gently reminds him that her body can take a lot of crap, but  _she_  sure won't.

**48 / Precious**

The young drell swallows audibly when Miranda Lawson steeples her fingers and begins their conversation with "Now, about my sister."

**49 / Hunger**

His species might have fled Rakhana's jaws only to be swallowed by the sea – for as far as Kolyat is concerned, Kahje is the same old beast with a new identity.

**50 / Believe**

It isn't long before Oriana realizes that Kolyat needs to prove himself, if not with a bullet in the back of some politician's head then by the uncertain weight of his hand on hers.

 


	2. And that's a stupid hat.

* * *

"This is stupid," her companion declared. "I'm going to go outside."

Oriana's gaze flicked back and forth over the store's display shelf in desperation. She was looking for one thing in particular, and –

"Hold it," she interrupted while reaching out and snagging Kolyat's arm. He could have easily peeled her off and marched out the door, but the drell only gave a long-suffering grunt instead. He turned back around.

"What are you -"

Oriana plopped something on his head and his mouth snapped shut. "There," she said, inspecting her work. "Maybe no one will recognize you."

"What in the sea is this?" he asked and reached up with a frown. Oriana gave his hands a playful slap.

"It's a hat," she sniffed. "Now leave it on. I need to see if it fits."

"It  _doesn't_  fit," Kolyat grumbled while bypassing her attempts to shoo him. He plucked the offending item off – or tried, at least – and made a face when it caught on one of his head fins.

"Hm... That's going to be a problem," Oriana conceded when she studied the odd shape of her companion's skull. Yes... certainly odd.

Kolyat waved the hat in front of Oriana's face. "What was that for?" he demanded and pointed to it, as though the waving around itself wouldn't get the point across.

"It's part of your disguise," she explained. "I thought you might want to disappear for a few days, but..."

"Wait." Kolyat drew back from her. "What are you saying?" he asked, his voice roughening. "Disappear..?"

"I didn't tell you?" Oriana brought a hand to her lips, both for theatrical effect and to hide her wavering smile. "Miranda is stopping by for a few -"

The hat swiftly reappeared on Kolyat's head. The drell yanked the sides of it down over his frill. "Can you still tell it's me?"

"I..." Oriana trailed off when she focused on Kolyat's jutting teal chin. "...I think she'd still know it's you. Unless you'd like to look for a beard."

Kolyat made an exasperated sound and swiped the hat off his head. It caught on his fin. Again. The same fin, too. He scowled when the smaller woman stifled a snort. "Then what's the point?" he demanded and chucked it back at the shelf.

"You don't want to look for a beard?"

"So you can think of something else to put on me after we find one? No thanks."

"I don't know, Kolyat. A big, fluffy beard could conceal..." Oriana trailed off again when Kolyat just  _squinted_ at her, and for a species with multiple eyelids, squinting was quite a feat.

" _Point_?" he tried again.

"There isn't one," Oriana admitted after a second's pause and struggled not to laugh. "I just wanted pictures."

The expression on Kolyat's face when she indicated her active omni-tool was _totally worth_ the inevitable revenge.

* * *

"This is stupid," Kolyat declared two weeks later from within Oriana's apartment living room.

She glanced down and raised an eyebrow. "Look, I didn't ask for this assignment."

"Why do you need me?"

"Because the paper is on..." Oriana struggled to keep a straight face when she took a step back. Kolyat continued to sit cross-legged on top of the table and was succeeding at looking very sullen under the shadow cast by the enormous white cowboy hat he wore. "...Culture clashes and... and drell."

"This is a stupid class."

"You're going to run out of adjectives soon," Oriana teased when she held up her holo-cam. "Now hold st—"

"Wait!" Kolyat sat up straight, causing the hat to bob comically as it struggled to balance on his elongated skull. "You didn't say anything about pictures!"

"What did you  _think_  I was going to do?"

When Kolyat didn't reply immediately, Oriana took the opportunity to snap the shot. Her companion scowled ( _ah_ , such a familiar expression by now) when she checked the cam with a triumphant grin.

"Got it," she said. She scrolled through the series of 2D previews. "This will make a great wallpaper."

Kolyat flung the hat across the room and narrowed his eyes at the smiling woman. "What?"

"Oh. I mean... this will be great for my paper."

Kolyat's eyes narrowed further. Oh. Was that a- yes, that was a squint. Oriana glanced to the cam and then back up again. She felt her lips start to twitch.

"You lied," the drell hissed and leapt from the table. Oriana hid the cam behind her back and sidled backwards.

"Too late," she declared with an uplifted chin. "I already sent the shot to my extranet account." Oriana pursed her lips. "And  _you don't know my password._ "

Kolyat's mouth pressed into a thin line.

"It's not that bad," she continued. She picked up the discarded hat so that she could wave it at him. "You know what we always say! You  _could_  use this as a disguise for when my sister comes to visit..."

"She'll never find you," Kolyat said before lunging at her. The ensuing tangle of limbs, laughter and half-articulated profanity ended up in a heap on the sofa, and was punctuated by random snapshots taken with the cam as they wrestled for control of the device. By the time Oriana had given up the fight, the cam's memory was clogged with various close-ups of nostrils, chins, eyeballs and a mysterious teal blur that might have been any of those things.

"Arse," she mumbled, half-sprawled on her back with Kolyat wedged against her side. Oriana huffed hair out of her face while the ex-hitman held the cam out of reach and wiped its memory with a triumphant punch of his finger. "Drell memory may be good, but you can't use it for blackmail."

Kolyat punched the delete button again as though making sure it'd done the job. It was adorable, really. "Did you really mail yourself the shot of me in that... thing?"

"What do  _you_  think?" She was smiling through the remaining tufts of hair splayed across her eyes and the smile  _may_  have been the tiniest bit smug, but with the flushed red of her cheeks it was hard to tell. "I always have a Plan B."

Kolyat studied her for a long moment. His fingers then brushed the stray locks from her forehead and she sidled closer and ignored the sting of impending bruises. A tickling filled her ears when he made an amused sound; it was rough and deep and came from somewhere deep in his chest.  _Oh, good – he isn't angry._  When Kolyat was angry he withheld cuddles. It was truly the most despicable form of blackmail. Her cheek pressed against his shoulder and his touch grew thoughtful.

She'd almost gotten comfortable when Kolyat unceremoniously dropped the hat over her face.

" _E'diya_ ," the drell chuffed, and she didn't need to see him in order to give his shoulder one good shove.


	3. Cold

He has never known cold on Kahje. Discomfort, yes, but never cold. Even the rain is warm.

The house he lives in has always been kept dry. He has plenty of blankets, and when that isn't enough, his mother curls up beside him and hums songs that make him feel warm from head to toe. She wipes the grass from his feet when he plays outside and the beads of water that collect on his frill when he splashes in the sink. Her palm on his forehead is hot when he is ill, but it's a gentle heat that permeates through the thick plates of his scales and trickles all the way through him.

When they're out in a crowd he follows her, and his keen eyes track the motion of her legs so he always knows just where to run to. When his own legs are tired, he nuzzles his face into her lap and she scoops him up and presses him against her chest.

He can hear her heart beat, then. It's a song, like the ones he falls asleep to, but it's different as well. It's a pulse; a rhythm that burns like a star.

Stars never stop burning. If they do, they aren't a star any more.

That's just how things are.

And so he is confused when he finds her with her body still and unmoving and speckled by red. He is confused when she does not respond. He is confused when his little hands grasp at her own, his fingers darting to and fro across the gentle planes of skin that thrummed so hotly mere hours ago.

He is confused, and he is scared, because he screams at her and she doesn't answer.

_Cold._  
  
Everything is cold.

Kolyat has never known cold til now, and as he curls up beside his mother on the floor, it trickles through every part of him until cold is all he feels.


End file.
